Auckland’s "A Team" scored a narrow 3-2 victory over the New Zealand U-17s on the North Harbour Stadium Tigerturf on 29 November, but it was the Young Ferns who deserved at least a share of the spoils - if not all three points - in this Lion Foundation National Women’s League encounter. The youngsters produced their best performance yet in this encounter, and set the tone just 140 seconds into the contest, Hannah Wong beating Melissa Ray on receipt of an Olivia Chance cross, only to be denied by Ashleigh Cox. Auckland’s ‘keeper instantly hoisted the ball downfield, which allowed Rebecca Tegg to get the better of Michelle Windsor before setting up Kirsty Yallop. The league’s leading markswoman opted to pass to Melanie Gooch rather than shoot, and the striker promptly deferred to Tegg. Tessa McPherson was watching this game of "Pass The Parcel" developing before her, and chose this moment to step in and resolve the situation, much to the chagrin of her older opponents, who, between them, butchered a glorious chance to open the scoring. McPherson’s clearance found its way to Sara Lovitz, whose passing accuracy in this match left an awful lot to be desired - she wasn’t alone, mind. Very few "A Team" players produced anything remotely approaching their A game in this encounter, as they struggled to adapt to the different requirements of the Tigerturf surface as well as the pressure applied by the Young Ferns. On this occasion, Lovitz gifted possession straight to Katie Bowen, who wasted little time in surging downfield at pace before working a one-two with Brittany Dudley-Smith and letting fly from twenty yards. Cox grabbed this greedily, and instantly released Anna Green down the left. Her cross found Tegg darting in at the near post to direct a header goalwards which rattled the stanchion. In the ninth minute, Auckland opened the scoring direct from a corner. Green’s clipped delivery was beautifully flighted and weighted, and made maximum use of the prevailing breeze to arc into the net by the far post - a textbook strike. Not satisfied with this goal, the scorer promptly sought a second, swerving through three challenges on a mazy run into the penalty area which culminated in Chloe-May Geurts saving at the second attempt, prior to producing a fine diving save to her left to thwart a long-range effort from Yallop. In between these efforts, Cox had capably contained a Bowen bullet, after Ray and Hannah Wong had tangled on the edge of the penalty area. But Auckland’s goalkeeper was among many clad in white who were looking on with relief in the nineteenth minute, as the Young Ferns driving force spurned a glorious chance to equalise. Kate Loye picked out Chance on the left with a measured pass, and the winger controlled the ball neatly before clipping a gem of a cross into the stride of Bowen, who stroked a low twelve yard shot inches past the upright with Cox and company beaten - a bad miss. Unperturbed, the Young Ferns came again, Cox saving with her legs from Dudley-Smith after the striker had given Chelsey Wood the runaround upon being released by Chance down the left. The resulting corner, delivered by Holly Patterson, found Wong rising unchallenged beyond the far post, but she was unable to direct her 26th minute header on target. Wood made amends for this blemish with an interception which allowed her to release Tegg on the half-hour, much to the surprise of ball-watching Young Ferns defenders. The striker fed Green, who evaded three challenges before thundering a drive narrowly over the crossbar. The Young Ferns drew level in the 34th minute. Geurts confidently grabbed a Green cross from the skies and cleared the ball downfield. Priscilla Duncan headed the ball back to Wood, whose indecision was compounded by an awfully under-hit back-pass which put Cox under all sorts of pressure. Dudley-Smith had closed on Wood as she hesitated, and the striker kept charging after the ball, reducing Cox’s opportunity to clear the sphere to zero. The ‘keeper’s attempt cannoned off the Young Ferns starlet and ricocheted into the empty net beyond - 1-1. Auckland don’t take kindly to conceding goals - before this match, they had yielded just 34 in 60 games this century! This was red rag-waving at a bull stuff, and the bull duly snorted and stomped downfield from the kick-off, Yallop leading the charge. The "A Team"’s captain worked a one-two with Tegg before forcing Geurts to smother smartly. The Young Ferns took no notice. Wong swooped on a wayward pass from Duncan and stormed downfield, working a one-two with Dudley-Smith which took her into the penalty area. But just as Wong was about to pull the trigger, Dana Humby produced a superbly timed tackle to spare Auckland’s blushes. Patterson then thrashed a shot narrowly over the bar after Ray and Humby got their wires crossed, while Wong, after catching Wood in possession just outside the penalty area, found herself outmuscled by the retreating defender as she looked to capitalise on the 41st minute opening. A minute before half-time, the "A Team" regained the lead. A Green corner wasn’t cleared, and Yallop, picking up the pieces, clipped the ball into the danger zone. From eight yards out, Tegg directed a thumping

Katie Bowen strips Grace Vincent of possession Holly Patterson shields from Maia Jackman Sara Lovitz edges out Brittany Dudley-Smith in the air Katie Bowen puts Melanie Gooch under pressure Kirsty Yallop gets the better of Katie Bowen "A Team" match-winner, Anna Green

header into the net - 2-1 "A Team". And very nearly 3-1 right on half-time. Yallop gathered the ball just inside the Young Ferns half and proceeded to run rings round Loye before working a one-two with Tegg which enabled the midfielder to let fly from twenty-five yards. The sphere cleared the crossbar by not a lot. Auckland coach Richard Wilson rang the changes at half-time, and rightly so - the "A Team" had failed to satisfy the standards expected of them, and which they expect of themselves, in the opening forty-five minutes. Enter Maia Jackman and Emily Cooper, but before they could get up to speed, the Young Ferns were back on level terms. Four minutes into the half, an awful clearance across the face of her own unguarded goal by Cox presented Loye with a twenty-yard chance she simply could not miss, and didn’t - top far corner, 2-2, and the sight of a frustrated goalkeeper wishing the ground would open up and swallow her whole! The reigning champions’ response was nigh on instant. Melanie Gooch galloped down the right before delivering a hanging cross which invited all-comers to contest it. Yallop, Geurts and McPherson were in the thick of things before the ball fell towards Jackman, who was denied by the swift reactions of a young defender with "Class Act" stamped all over her - Sivitha Boyce is quality, make no mistake. After Wong and Bowen had gone close to firing the Young Ferns in front for the first time in the match with long-range efforts, Jackman caught Boyce in possession on half-way and raced forward before releasing Tegg down the left. The striker whipped in a cross for Gooch to exploit, but she was denied the opportunity by Geurts, whose handling and throwing throughout this match was exemplary, but who must work on improving her kicking game as a top priority - it’s not a good look when defenders are taking the goal kicks, for instance. In the 65th minute, Tegg spurned a wonderful chance to put the "A Team" back in front, blazing over from ten yards after Yallop and Cooper had combined to good effect. Seconds later, this duo, in tandem with Grace Vincent and Jackman, produced a classic one-touch passing move which invited Gooch to deliver a quality cross. She did so at the second attempt, only for Geurts to prevail at Tegg’s expense. Nineteen minutes from time, Patterson raced in off the right flank before splitting the defence with a reverse pass which allowed Dudley-Smith to shoot on the run from inside the penalty area. Her effort lacked the power to beat Cox, however, the ‘keeper smothering as Wong followed in. Six minutes later, Green, who had dropped back to fullback following Jackman’s arrival, played the ball forward for Yallop’s benefit. She evaded two challenges before slipping Tegg through the inside-left channel deep into the Young Ferns penalty area. Geurts did well to thwart the striker at close quarters on this occasion, and the U-17s managed to scramble the danger to seeming safety … that was until Green gathered the ball. From the second it left her boot, the ball was destined for the back of the net some thirty-five yards away, and there wasn’t a thing Geurts or any of her Young Ferns team-mates could do about it - screamer! 3-2 to Auckland with twelve minutes left, against opponents whose youthful exuberance was beginning to wane as their more experienced rivals finally began to impose themselves on proceedings. Geurts smothered a low drive from Jackman six minutes from time, before the 74-times-capped "A Team" star scampered down the left past Windsor before setting up Yallop on the edge of the penalty area. Geurts smothered the captain’s twenty-yarder at the foot of the post, two minutes from time. The ‘keeper sent the ball forward, and Bowen got the better of Tegg in a centre circle tussle before charging downfield. Three opponents stood off as the midfielder ran on and on before, from twenty-five yards, unleashing a piledriver which Cox didn’t even move for - the strike was every bit as good as Green’s match-winner. There lies the catch - the crossbar came to Auckland’s rescue, and Dudley-Smith’s attempt to turn home the rebound saw her hit the post from an offside position. That’s how close the Young Ferns came to claiming a share of the spoils no-one would have begrudged them. They had another chance in stoppage time, a four-on-four opportunity which was thwarted by Cox’s save at Dudley-Smith’s feet. The ‘keeper’s clearance resulted in Yallop engineering an opening at the other end of the park, but Geurts plucked the ball off Tegg’s toes in the final act of an encounter in which referee Anne-Marie Keighley occasionally had her hands full. Auckland certainly had theirs full throughout the entire encounter, this match a genuine wake-up call to their title-chasing prospects. The Young Ferns fully deserve the plaudits for their efforts in this match - they deserved something tangible, in terms of points, to show for their efforts as well. Young Ferns:     Geurts; Boyce, Windsor, McPherson (Lovrich, 81), Oulaghan; Patterson, Bowen, Loye, Chance (Barnett, 72); Dudley-Smith, Wong (Fraser, 85) Auckland:     Cox; Lovitz (Jackman, 46), Ray, Wood, Humby; Vincent, Duncan (Cooper, 46), Yallop; Gooch (Williams, 86), Tegg (booked 81), Green Referee:     Anne-Marie Keighley